What I've Been Loving: Beauty & Fashion

 Just  thought I would do a quick post of what I've been loving lately...

Skincare:
Lately I've been sticking to the following products. I  must say all four would be a definite re-purchase (in fact, I re-purchased the Origins VitaZing during Sephora's Friends & Family Sale - next post).

1.) Pangea Organics Facial Toner- I love this toner. It's cool, soothing, and feels great on my skin. I use this both day and night. I love the clean feeling it leaves my skin. It doesn't make my skin feel tight or dry after I apply it.

2.) BeFine Exfoliating Cleanser with Brown Sugar, Sweet Almond & Oats- I first discovered this while watching one of my favorite beauty YouTuber (missglamorazzi - check out her channel, she's awesome).
I have to admit I was a bit concern about the exfoliating grains in this cleanser. Because of my oily and sensitive skin, I can't use any harsh products that will aggravate my skin even more. That said, I really liked this exfoliating cleanser. I mainly use this at night time. I think the trick is to apply a nickel size amount and put in a bit of water and apply to skin in circular motion. No rubbing or scrubbing against the skin, but a slow, gentle circular motion. Skin feels soft and clean. Hmmmm....should have just dedicated a full post on this.

3.) Origins VitaZing SPF 15 my new favorite moisturizer. I started using this over the summer when I had a really bad tan and a sunburned forehead while vacationing in LA. I didn't want to use any foundation so I decided that a slightly tinted moisturizer will do and dusting a finishing powder on top is good enough for me.

4.) bareMinerals Deep Cleansing Foam - I absolutely love the bareMinerals skincare line. This is my second tube of the Deep Cleansing Foam cleanser. It feels very gentle and clean on the skin. It's perfect for my oily skin. Unlike some Deep Cleansing Foam that I have tried, this one doesn't leave my skin feeling tight or dry. A permanent staple in my cleansing routine.

 Perfect Pairing: Pangea Organics and Origins VitaZing SPF15

 I have also been doing some serious cleaning of my makeup brushes. I had put it off for a long time.
So, here they are nice and clean. Sad thing is this is not even half of the brushes I own. On the other hand, I have come to realize that I really like the affordable $1 ELF brushes. It's the one item I keep coming back to whenever I apply eyeshadow.

 This is an Instagram post. I had dedicated a post of OPI's Casino Royale  earlier - here  I really, really love this color!

I went to Sephora last week and decided to cash in 500 of my points and this is the item I chose. I really need a travel size of the All Nighter long lasting makeup setting spray.

 Not the best picture of me. I was at a work event last week and it was at the end of the night. After a very long and exhausting day, I had to sit. I hate my pose on this but I was so tired I didn't care.

A run down of my outfit:
Blazer: Target
Dress: Kirna Zabete for Target
Purse: Coach black wristlet
Tights: Hue? I think, I forget
Lipstick: Dior 'Diorific - Le Grand Bal Holiday Collection in Diva
Nails: Dior 'Diorific- Le Grand Bal Holiday Collection in Diva
Bracelet: JCrew
Shoes: Bandolino Booties (see below)

 This is an Instagram pic of my latest favorite shoes: booties. I wore this with the Kirna Zabete dress for a work event and I absolutely love it. It's quite chic look with the subtle studs on the side of the boots. The only thing I had to get used to is the heel - it was at least 3 inches high and something I had to get used to since I'm in flats most of the time.

Shameless plug here: Follow me on Instagram: lenzelenz

And I'm also on Bloglovin': jolenzbeauty.blogspot.com

So that's it! Until next time!

xoxo,
Lynn

New Drugstore Beauty Buys: L'oreal, Maybelline, Wet 'n Wild + Garnier BB Cream

My first blog of the year! I think I'm off to a good start:)

Anyway, a recent trip to Walgreens and Rite Aid resulted in purchasing some new items - which I'm very excited about! Below are some of the items I picked up. I will post a review and more photos and swatches as soon as I've had a chance to try them. 

Let's start with the most anticipated eyeshadow release. It's the L'oreal 24 Hour Infallible Eye Shadow. I heard that this is dupe to the Georgio Armani Eyes to Kill eyeshadow. I can't wait to try these. I don't have the Armani eyeshadows-  so I hope that this is a good dupe for it. These eye shadows are part of the Infallible Never Fail Makeup Collection. This collection is suppose to deliver long wear capability with a comfortable lightweight feel. I bought 6 colors- so we'll see how these shadows wear.

Maybelline also came out with new shadows. These are the Color Tattoo 24 Hour eye shadows. I bought 4 basic colors. These have the same concept as that of the L'oreal Infallible shadows. I can't wait to test these out to see how they wear as well. I might come back for the Teal and Emerald color - love brights for Spring.

I also picked up the Color Riche Balm with SPF 15. I picked up three and I'm curious to see how they wear and overall feel and consistency of these. I like the fact that there's SPF with these balms. I'm definitely going to do a comparison review with the very popular Revlon Color Burst Lip Balm. Stay Tuned! There weren't much left to choose from when I bought these at Rite Aid - I did pick up the colors I knew I would wear.

Wet 'n Wild also came out with some new polishes. These are very basic and probably dupable color but I like them anyway.

The most exciting product I wanted to try and would probably do a thorough review at the end of the month is the Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream in Medium/Deep. I've been wanting to try BB Creams for a long time except that the shades available doesn't suit my tan/olive skin tone. Tried these out today and so far I like it- review coming up....

So, I hope everyone is having an awesome first day of the year! Stay tuned for a review of the above items!

Talk soon! LynnGa

Review: Lush BB Seaweed Fresh Face Mask

Lush's BB Seaweed Fresh Face Mask is one of my favorite face mask. I have quite a few favorites from Lush. All of which I've tried and will do a separate review for each. First I will start with BB Seaweed.

BB Seaweed Fresh Face Mask is perfect for all skin tones. I have very oily skin and this mask works great for me. It's leaves my face feeling smooth and soft. According to the Lush UK website, it is described as a "mineral-rich mask to cleanse, soften and beautify all skins". The masks' key ingredients include: kaolin, antiseptic honey, aloe vera and rose absolute. What's great about the face mask Lush makes is that the ingredients are listed right there on the packaging.

More about this mask....Other than it being great for all skin types, it also smells great. It does definitely have that antiseptic but not too medicine..y type smell. If you can tolerate the scent, it will work wonders on your skin. You will also find specks of seaweed mixed in the mask. Sometimes when I pick up too much, I just removed the excess seaweed that seems to get attached to my finger. Since this is a fresh mask, it needs to be refrigerated right when you get home. Fresh Face mask are not shipped to consumers since they are made of Fresh Ingredients- they will go bad. The mask are made on a weekly batch. In my experience, most stores sell their freshest newest masks on Thursdays. All Fresh Face Mask have an expiration date. The masks are good for 3 weeks with 2-3 days of use per week. I admit I get lazy sometimes and forget.

I still use mine at least one week past its due date but not more than that. I figure since it's refrigerated then it is okay.

BB Seaweed Fresh Face Mask retails for $5.95 US. You can visit your nearest Lush to purchase in-store.

My mask expires today, May 23rd. Most likely I will use up by Friday. And then I will purchase the next one and I will do a review on it.

I hope this was helpful. Let me know if you have tried any Lush's face masks.

xo,

Lynn

must be kept refrigerated due to its fresh ingredients

You can see bits of seaweed on this one

Yes, it does expire so use by the date indicated

looks like whipped seaweed cream cheese doesn't it? lol